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Letter: We are in the era of 'Vulture Capitalism'

By Leland Jenson, Detroit Lakes on Feb 8, 2013 at 2:16 p.m.

The year of 2012 was a record breaker. President Obama was re-elected with a five million vote advantage over Romney. A clear 50 percent plus majority. President Obama also ended the Iraq war, as promised.

The war with Iraq was advertised by Paul Wolfowitz, Doug Feith, Hadley, Richard Pearl, Cheney and others, as a low cost solution to a non-threat.

The cost was promoted at a low cost of $60 billion. Hey, no problem -- right? Let-'er rip. Gen. Franks claimed to be surprised and delighted to lead our forces -- other generals were equally surprised. At any rate all of those "leaders" have vanished to obscurity -- some in disgrace. The last week of January, 2013 also a record of 22 suicides per day for 2012 (was revealed).

Eight thousand and thirty men and women; that is roughly the population of Detroit Lakes for you fiscal conservative "bean counters;" that is only $1,600,000 for insurance payouts -- if paid; and funeral costs excluded.

What part of these numbers don't you understand?

These ridiculous Neo-Cons named above, said $60 billion. Well that has morphed into $1,450,000,000,000 -- what part of these numbers don't you understand?

Former President George W. Bush also signed off on $2 trillion of not paid for tax cuts.

In 2008 our economy collapsed. Why? Because of deregulation; all in the name of "competitive edge" but "cut-throat" was the reality. Gov. Perry of Texas rightly called "Vulture Capitalism."

Plutocrats and their paid employee lobbyists/politicians, promoted "polarization" "divide and conquer" techniques. As Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) Louisiana called it correctly "dumbing down -- and insulting the intelligence of the electorate."

Thirty years of deregulation from both left and right has created "Vulture Capitalism," leverage buyouts, corporate raiders; this is the legitimate reality conservatism, all of it predicated on denial and conspiracy theories.

We will come out of this, but trickle down economies has been revealed as rife with moral corruption and ignorance of history.

Promoters of this trickle down Ponzi scheme will hopefully become irrelevant right quick and end up in the dust bin of history. -- Leland Jenson, Detroit Lakes